Maria Sharapova avoids second-round letdown, comes back to beat Babos

NEW YORK—Stepping into Arthur Ashe Stadium for the second time this week was a still healthy and still glittery Maria Sharapova. This time, the hype was significantly less than in her first round against Simona Halep, but the task was the same: Win.

The Russian was less than perfect, but she managed to get it done over world No. 59 Timea Babos, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1. The atmosphere was dimmed in comparison to Monday’s hoopla, but Sharapova's determination was not. She plays each shot as if to prove a point: I'm back, whether you like it or not.

"I certainly have expectations just because I know I've been in these stages before and I've been able to execute. There's a certain level of I know I can do this, I've done it before. I want to have that feeling again," Sharapova said. "But there's also the realistic understanding of, OK, you haven't been in this situation for a while. It's going to take a little time."

Again decked out in a dress covered in diamonds, though this time a pale pink, Sharapova went down quickly in the first set against the Hungarian. She stayed with Babos, but was showing some rust from her 15-month suspension and the three months of injuries that followed. Babos was putting on the more consistent performance, and playing with nothing to lose, she took the tiebreaker.

Sharapova’s arm sleeve and forearm tape were somewhat of a symbol of her first few months back on tour—injuries on top of injuries. First it was the leg muscle tear in Rome, and then a left arm injury that forced her to miss the majority of the hard-court season leading into the US Open.

"Definitely not fashion. I'm not into the sleeves at all," Sharapova said. "It's just to keep my arms warm. But, yeah, not crazy about that look. Not at all. Not voluntarily doing it."

But the former No. 1 finally seems to be fully healthy.

“I think in the second set I felt like I was physically fresh, and that gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I knew she had a tough match going into the second round, and I just wanted to be the fitter player going out there, and I felt like I was.”

As opposed to her contest against No. 2-ranked Halep, Sharapova was a clear favorite against Babos, even with the injuries and time away. Yet nothing was easy on Wednesday, and she had to fight for everything she got—something she’s had plenty of practice doing her entire career.

To her total credit, the five-time Grand Slam winner restarted the match after losing the first set—champions of her caliber can do that. She’s showing a level of great fitness and even greater mental strength, something the suspension didn’t take away from her.

“It was definitely tough to control the emotions yesterday, because as much as you want to be happy about that match and what I accomplished there, you want to move on really fast,” Sharapova said. “Today, I felt like going into the match, I knew I just wanted to get it done. It wasn’t my best tennis.

"I feel like it was a scrappy match, but sometimes those are the best because you get through and you give yourself another chance.”

Babos certainly had her chances, holding game points to go up 4-2 in the second. Instead, Sharapova wouldn’t go away, taking it 6-4 and storming to a 4-1 lead in the third. She found her rhythm, and a steamrolling Sharapova is nearly impossible to stop.

She has now survived two three-set matches going into the third round. For most players, that can seem like a negative, but it can actually be a boost for Sharapova. The 30-year-old is trying to build her Grand Slam-winning game back, and the match play is something she’s embracing, along with her good health.

“One match at a time,” she said. “I know that’s a very boring answer, but every day that I have a chance to play out here at the US Open is a special day, and I look forward to the next one.”

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